What Are Sakura?
Sakura, also known as Cherry Blossoms, is considered Japan's unoffical national flower
The cherry blossom aesthetic is one of the most prominent images throughout Japanese culture. You will spy the design everywhere, from dreamy landscapes in ukiyo-e wood block prints or delicate designs on painted on byobu traditional folding screens, to decorations on everyday consumer items like bento lunch boxes, not to mention common appearances in modern art, manga and anime.
These delicate flowers have inspired countless quotes dedicated to the beauty they bring to the landscape and to encapsulate the admiration of people who enjoy them every spring. Take, for example, the striking words of Ikkyu (1394 – 1481), a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet: “Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers; but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms.” One of the reasons for the popularity of cherry blossom lies in their symbolism. They are said to be like clouds as they bloom all at once and hang above the trees as if to shroud them in mist. Then – just like clouds – they suddenly disappear. Through this, they have come to symbolize ephemerality or transient nature of life. This reflects a longstanding of Buddhist concept in Japanese culture known as “mono no aware,” or roughly, “the pathos of things,” which recognizes both the beauty and mortality inherent in life.
Cherry blossoms bloom at different times depending on the area, but in general they are associated with late March and early April. This is the end of the school year and the beginning, a time where students might graduate and start the work force. It is a time associated with the end of one chapter, and the opening of the next. In Japanese, the word “natsukashi” reflects a kind of nostalgia tinged with both happiness and sadness. Given the timing of their blooming, cherry blossoms also embody this sense of nostalgia for many Japanese.
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Coded by Betty Chan